Artemis Fowl: Chimaera's Revenge
by ChaosHavoc
Summary: Well, here it is...the 5th chapter...kinda ironic that finished it as soon as Harry Potter came out, eh? O_o And this is not an INTENTIONAL Mary-Sue
1. Wanted

Disclaimer: Artemis Fowl isn't mine...*continues to rewrite Eoin Colfer's will*...Yet...  
  
Summary: Two years after the "Arctic Incident", Artemis Fowl, criminal mastermind, millionaire, genius, (And, possibly, sexy teenager *is smacked by FF.net Owner* HEY I CAN DREAM!!! *dreams* Ooohh...) is fifteen today. He gets the worst of surprises, however, when a new member of his staff attacks Juliet and he is pulled into LEP HQ for questioning--again. It seems the only way to catch a psycho after Fowl is to send a psycho after the first psycho. Or something like that.  
  
WARNING: This fic is complete with guns, knives, explosions, fireballs, digested clay, kleptomaniacs, teenage crime lords, dragons, legends, hyped up elves, angry girls, angry guys, melodramatic speeches, crossbreeds, purebreds, OOCness, world domination plots, kung fu, centaurs, fairies, bad guys, and...psychotic grandmothers? For those of you looking for a Mary Sue fic with loads of fluff, waffiness, and "Oh I LOVE you, Artemis"--"I love you too, Holly"--"Oh, but we can't be together, because I'm a suspicious, overactive Munchkin, and..."--"I know, I'm a dashingly brilliant boy-wonder. It would disrupt the delicate balance between our two worlds"--"I just CAN'T leave you, Artemis"--"I'll never let you--"  
  
Holly's C/N: I'M SURE THEY UNDERSTAND!!!!  
  
What? Oh, sorry. Anyways, Romance (Or, just plain porn) readers are advised, no, wait, make that URGED to leave the vicinity IMMEDIATELY! THIS IS NOT ONLY NOT A DRILL, THIS IS--DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN--SOMETHING ACTUALLY WORTH READING!!!!!!  
  
Artemis's C/N: Okay, I'm sure they get it. Can we begin?  
  
Okay, one second...  
  
Butler's C/N: *cracks knuckles loudly*  
  
EEK! ON TO THE FIC!! *Looks at Butler's giant hands* Jeezus...  
  
***  
  
Fowl Manor, Ireland, Present Day  
  
It was too quiet. Artemis tore himself away from his computer for two minutes to check on his mother. Thank God for summer, he told himself as he made his way through the hallways of Fowl Manor. I thought I'd never get out of Saint Bartleby's. It wasn't until he was in the main foyer that he stopped himself from continuing on to his parents' room.  
  
Someone was outside.  
  
Artemis looked around for any sign of Butler or Juliet. Where could they be? He made his way over to the door, the hair on the back of his neck standing straight up as he reached out to turn the knob. In the years to come, when he played this memory back, he would regret not walking past the door and calling for his bodyguard right then and there.  
  
"Hello," the old woman outside said as soon as he got the door open. "I am here fill in empty spot, as maid." She held up the ad and Artemis took it, examining it very carefully. It was authentic. Cut directly from the newspaper. No spots where alcohol might have splashed. No yellowed patches to suggest smoking. She was a clean person, at least on the inside.  
  
"Might I inquire you name?" he asked, stepping aside to let her enter the Manor. When she made no move to come in, he cocked an eyebrow quizzically.  
  
"My name is Shoa Lin," she told him. The name rolled off of her tongue easily. Either it was her real name, or she had practiced for hours. She seemed to be waiting for something.  
  
"Why don't you come in?" he said. It was more of an inquisition than invitation, and, apparently, she knew that.  
  
"Where I from," she answered, her voice heavy with the drawl of some other country, though Artemis could not recognize it, "we wait be invited. It is rude walk in, dropping your things wherever pleases you, without even verbal invitation."  
  
Artemis recognized her accent now. Chinese, no doubt about it. "Would you like to come in?" he asked, his mind ticking away.  
  
Her odd custom should have tipped him off. But, as it is often said, geniuses never have much common sense. She walked past him, tugging a tiny suitcase behind her and something should have clicked. But, alas, nothing. In years to come, he would regret this as well.  
  
"Artemis?"  
  
Juliet walked into the room, looking a bit ruffled. Butler followed closely behind, his glare burning a hole into the back of Juliet's impudent blonde head.  
  
Artemis frowned at Juliet and handed Butler the newspaper ad. "And where have you two been?" he demanded, keeping a close watch on Shoa Lin to make sure she didn't steal anything that he wanted to keep.  
  
"He's being a jerk," Juliet told him, pointing a slim finger at Butler. "This is the Nationals, a match between Ironfist Ike and Stiff-Neck Stevie, and all he wants to do is work." She folded her arms over her chest and grumbled, even as Artemis signaled to Shoa Lin.  
  
"This is Shoa Lin. Show her around, Juliet," he said, narrowing his eyes when Juliet began to protest.  
  
Juliet stomped over to Shoa Lin's side and took her hand, dragging her up the stairs and onto the second floor, glaring at Butler over her shoulder.  
  
"You'd better tape it for me, you big ape!" she called out before disappearing from their sight.  
  
Artemis faced Butler, frowning. "Anything?"  
  
Butler had been examining the ad. "It could have been scrubbed clean, for all I can make of it." He waved the paper momentarily. "You do know what this could mean, right?"  
  
"Yes," Artemis answered after a quick moment of consideration. "She could be a fairy." He and Butler made their way back to Artemis's room, completely forgetting about Mrs. Fowl.  
  
Artemis took a moment to contemplate his options. Butler couldn't help but ask.  
  
"Didn't Captain Short tell us that they had pulled surveillance out of Fowl Manor?"  
  
Artemis was quiet for a moment. "I don't think we are entirely trustworthy as of yet." He drummed his fingers on his keyboard for a moment before logging on to the Internet. He would look into this...Shoa Lin.  
  
***  
  
The Lower Elements, Haven City, Police Plaza, Operations Booth  
  
"These cases have been closed for years." Captain Holly Short was tired of this. She smoothed her auburn hair back with slim fingers and glared at Foaly the centaur.  
  
"Remind me why we're looking into these dead cases again," she grumbled as she leaned on the back of his brand new swivel chair and watched him bring up old files.  
  
"With all these new activist groups griping about 'Wrongfully Accused'," Foaly answered, "Commander Root is paranoid about locking up the wrong fairies."  
  
Holly rolled her eyes. "The centaur who used to walk around with aluminum foil on his head is preaching about paranoia?"  
  
Foaly winced. "That was two years ago, Holly. The Mud Men could have read my mind!" He brought up another case file, this one for murder. Gang War. "You'd think they'd just lock up all the goblins and dwarves. It'd save a lot of trouble." The goblins and dwarves would never stop, it seemed. He skipped on to the next file, barely gave it a glance, and brought up another.  
  
"Wait," Holly said, gripping Foaly's shoulder instinctively. "Bring that last one up." A chill ran up along her spine as Foaly tapped some keys skillfully and brought the file up to full screen. The Gang War one. He was skipping that last one on purpose.  
  
Foaly winced when Holly clipped the one of his ears with her knuckles. "That file was supposed to be deleted," he explained. "It's way too old. Expired!"  
  
Holly wouldn't take no for an answer. "Bring it up," she ordered, digging her fingernail into the fleshy part of Foaly's right ear. Foaly did. A darkly tanned elf with blonde hair. "Chimaera Blaze. Murder, fraud, and a little bit of thievery." Holly didn't know what it was, but something about this person wasn't quite right. "Confined?" she asked, turning to look at Foaly. "No. Execution," Foaly answered. He brought up the second part of the file. "But it was never carried out. There was a revolution at the time and nobody knows what happened to her." He pointed to the screen. "See how old the file is? This was way before you and me, and, maybe, even Commander Root."  
  
Holly read over the short description. "She was only caught once. And that was her last time. I'm glad the criminals aren't like that today." Something caught her eyes at the bottom of the screen. "Parents: Yvena Blaze and Munoth Blaze. The Elven Royals?"  
  
For those unfamiliar with street legend in the Haven, the Elven Royals were the leaders of two gangs. The female elf, Yvena, was leading a holy war against dark elves, led by Munoth. In the end, Yvena and Munoth built a shaky truce called marriage. The dark elves slowly died out after this, for reasons unknown.  
  
Foaly scratched his chin, obviously bored with the whole topic. "Yeah. After her father died, her mother gave her to Bludnife. I'm sure you've heard of him.  
  
"Yes," Holly answered, recognizing the name of one of the last and most powerful dragons. "I read about him in my academy days. But why haven't I ever heard of Chimaera?"  
  
"Because her name wasn't Chimaera at the time," Foaly told her smugly. "I ran a personal bio on her when I first found this file. You see, Chimaera changed her name three times. While she was married, Bludnife called her Chimaera. After she turned to a life of crime, she developed an unusual talent for camouflaging herself and called herself the Doppleganger, after a type of Mud Men's ideas of fairies."  
  
Holly shook her head. "She does kind of ring a bell. The Doppleganger thing makes it a little clearer."  
  
"That's not it," Foaly commented, typing down special codes. "This is...really bizarre."  
  
Holly glanced at the screen. "What is it?"  
  
Foaly pointed to a number on the screen. "This the number of how many kills she's made. As you can see, the number is growing." He looked at Holly, his expression unreadable. Holly watched the screen. Nothing.  
  
And then.  
  
29 slowly changed to 30.  
  
"Call in Commander Root. He's going to want to see this."  
  
Just then, the alarms went off. There was a fairy wreaking havoc above ground.  
  
"I want the last surveillance camera we've got on the Fowl Manor, now," Holly ordered.  
  
Foaly nodded. "Yes ma'am." He pulled up the camera view. "Might I ask why? I mean, I'll admit the camera in the gold coin idea was clever, but do you honestly think he could be behind this?"  
  
"There's a dead fairy running around above ground," Holly grumbled, watching Artemis Fowl type at his computer, his loyal manservant, Butler, at his side, as always. "I don't know what to think."  
  
Fowl Manor  
  
Juliet guided Shoa Lin to the small bedroom. "This is where you'll sleep. You've been doing good so far, so don't push it by stealing anything," she warned. "I'd hate to have to body slam a little woman like you.  
  
"Thank you for hospitality," Shoa Lin smiled. "It is good see that young girls still look out for older women." She motioned to the door and walls as Juliet set her suitcase on the bed. "Why pretty girl like you stay in big house like this? All alone except for men?"  
  
"Oh, I'm not alone," Juliet answered, flipping blonde tresses over her shoulder. "Mrs. Fowl's here. And, anyway, it's not like I can really leave."  
  
"Why can Juliet not leave?" Shoa Lin asked angrily. Juliet could smell a feminist rant coming. "Pretty girl Juliet can do anything she puts pretty mind to." She nodded vigorously, as if agreeing with herself.  
  
Juliet couldn't help but laugh at the funny little woman. "I dunno why I can't leave," she admitted. "We Butlers have always worked for the Fowls. I guess we're obligated to stay. It goes way back."  
  
"Ah, yes, always women work for men. You don't see big man Butler make beds or wash dishes," Shoa Lin told her bitterly. "Afraid get his hands clean." She nodded again.  
  
"You're probably right," Juliet said. "And why can't Artemis make his own sandwiches." She became thoughtful for a moment. "But I'm just one girl in this line of work. I have to take care of Mrs. Fowl. Butler watches Artemis. I know that's the way it is, but, just once I'd like to be out there, fighting toe-to-toe, bashing heads and taking care of someone who actually goes places." She didn't see the glint in Shoa Lin's eye.  
  
"Maybe can take care of Artemis after all," Shoa Lin smiled.  
  
Artemis printed out the sheet of paper and looked it over. "It all looks authentic," he told Butler, frowning. "She'd have to rewire the whole Internet to have made this up. Either that, or just appear out of thin air."  
  
Butler nodded. "It's official then. She must be a fairy."  
  
"Not like any fairy we've ever encountered before," Artemis pointed out. "She must be hundreds of years old."  
  
"Either that," Butler admitted, "or she can disguise her true appearance."  
  
Artemis waved the idea away. "No fairy can do that. It'd take a substantial amount of power to preform such a feat. But to keep it up through the entire day? Impossible. It couldn't be accomplished even if the fairy were running hot."  
  
"Then we can rule out that the LEP is keeping surveillance on us?" Butler asked. "It seems highly unlikely that they'd send a little old fairy over to keep tabs on us."  
  
Police Plaza  
  
Holly listened patiently as Commander Root ranted and raved, pounding on his desk and crushing cigars into pulp with his teeth. Another hour of this and that loose fairy could take out an entire city.  
  
"I can't believe she just slipped through our fingers!" Root bellowed. "How could the Doppleganger still be alive?"  
  
Holly stopped Foaly before he made any smart remarks. "We're not sure, sir," she answered. "But, we do know that if we don't pull that fairy out of there and back down here, she could tear the upper world apart.  
  
Commander Root slowly calmed down. "Right. Foaly, get a tag on this fairy. Holly, you're sitting this one out. I want Kelp in there this time."  
  
"Trouble?" Holly's mouth fell open. "What? But, Commander, why?"  
  
Root's glare bounded over onto Foaly. "You didn't tell her?  
  
Foaly shifted uneasily. "I didn't think she needed to know."  
  
Holly looked from one to the other. "Oh, no. I'm not sitting by like a punished child fairy. You two have GOT to tell me whatever it is you didn't think you needed to."  
  
"We don't have to tell you anything, Captain," Root snapped at her. One look at her face told him she wasn't going to give up so easily. He sighed before having Foaly bring up the file on Chimaera Blaze, the Doppleganger. "The third page tells you about her killing techniques. She killed and took on the appearance of her victims."  
  
Holly was silent for a moment. "And...why shouldn't I know about this?"  
  
"She could only take the appearance of women," Foaly answered. "And then used this appearance to hunt down her victims. Her victims were always young boys. Rich...young boys"  
  
Holly nearly fell. Instead, she looked at Commander Root, daring him to defy her. "Commander...I need the fastest way to the Fowl Manor. And I need it yesterday."  
  
***  
  
Mwahahahahahahahahahaha! I am EVIL! *runs around with a blanket tied around her shoulders, chanting* EVIL EVIL EVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIL!!!!  
  
Ladies and Gentlemen...THIS is a cliffhanger. I IMPLORE you lovely Mud Pe-- er...I mean hum--I mean people--TO REVIEW!!! NOW!! Why are you still here? Okay, maybe you need instruction...Read Fic...Read witty comments by Author (me)...push little purple/blue button. No the other button...on your left. No, other left. Right. Got it? Now, type: "This is the best fic on the whole wide world and I love it love it love it!!!" If you write this, I'll post the next chapter. 


	2. Alliance

Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl, Juliet, Root, Holly, Foaly, or Mrs. Fowl.  
  
FF.net Owner: Ahem...*pokes her in the shoulder*  
  
...OR BUTLER! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! (Like this: Y.Y) I DO however own the Doppleganger...lot of good that does me...  
  
Summary: Same as last chapter.  
  
Warning: If you are looking for mushy oatmeal romance porn stuff, I suggest you vacate the area NOW, before I shove my foot up yer--  
  
Holly's C/N: *cocks gun against CH's head* I don't think so...  
  
O.o On to the fic!  
  
Artemis C/N: Good Author...  
  
***  
  
Fowl Manor  
  
Artemis watched the cameras quietly to see how Juliet and Shoa Lin were doing. Not much. Talking, probably about girl things. He studied the older woman's features and wondered what kind of conversations a teenage girl could have with her. But, then again, this was Juliet.  
  
"Anything unusual?" he asked when Butler returned from the other side of the room.  
  
Butler shook his head. "Nothing outside of the manor. That camera you planted in Tara picked up something, however. A shuttle. Looks like we may have visitors after a while."  
  
Artemis nodded after a minute. Something was happening, he decided. He could feel the air around him buzzing with magic that had yet to be grasped. And he would work like a dog to figure out what it was. He made his way to the other side of the room to watch the monitors.  
  
What he should have done was keep his eyes on Juliet and Shoa Lin. Thankfully Butler did.  
  
"I'll be right back Artemis," he said, hoping the worry didn't drift into his voice.  
  
Artemis turned around suddenly, brushing black hair out of his eyes as he fixed them on his manservant. "Why? Is something wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," Butler answered, even though his fingers instinctively reached for the Sig Sauer he always kept near. His favorite weapon. He made his way over to the door, stopping only when he was outside to lock it. "You'll be better off in there, Artemis."  
  
"What?" Artemis hadn't registered what was happening until he was locked in. Good thing he had a key. He strolled over to the opposite monitor and frowned.  
  
Or, he did have a key.  
  
"Juliet just as good as men," Shoa Lin smiled. It had been a while since she'd used the mesmer, but it still worked. Good thing there had been a full moon tonight. "Juliet smart and strong. Very beautiful. Do whatever Juliet wants." She stepped back as Juliet approached her.  
  
"Yeah," Juliet answered and Shoa Lin was happy her parents had blessed her with strong magic. "Yeah, I'm just as good as my brother and a lot prettier."  
  
Shoa Lin beckoned for the young girl to come closer. "Yes, Juliet." She shed her Chinese accent like a heavy winter coat. "You'll do as well as any man. I can teach you anything you wish to know." And gain your body in return, she thought to herself. All it took was a pretty body. And this body would suit her well. Just Juliet and then Artemis. And then, it would be over. She'd be free.  
  
Juliet knelt before Shoa Lin, who set her hands on the top of Juliet's head, near her temples. She hoped the carpets weren't brand new. This was going to be bloody...  
  
Butler kicked the door open, his gun raised. A bit melodramatic, yes, but efficient. His little sister was on her knees before the old woman, who was ready to crush her skull. Grabbing up Juliet, he simultaneously pushed the surprised maid away.  
  
"What meaning has this?" Shoa Lin growled as she struggled to maintain balance and regain her Chinese accent. "I give beauty tips and Butler burst in kicking doors?"  
  
Butler glared at her. There was no way this hag was giving beauty tips to his little sister. He set the girl outside the room and readied himself to shoot the old woman full in the face. "I don't think you'll be giving any tips when I blow your face off."  
  
Shoa Lin hissed at him and he saw her for what she was for a moment. "You will give me the girl. Now." She layered her voice with the mesmer. "She's mine. You will go back to Artemis."  
  
Butler resisted, just barely. There was no way anyone could fool him into giving up his sister. "I don't think so." He shot the bed next to her, making the little woman jump. "I want answers."  
  
Shoa Lin was becoming impatient. She couldn't do anything in this body. She needed something more suitable.  
  
"We all want something..." she whispered as she began to change.  
  
"Holly!"  
  
"Don't get all worked up," Holly told Artemis as she blasted the knob off of the door. "You're not out of the woods yet." She grabbed his arm and began to drag him through the Manor to the front door. "We have to get you back to LEP now!"  
  
Artemis pulled away from her, straightening his suit. "I don't think so, Captain. I can't leave without Butler." He started down another hallway to find his manservant.  
  
Holly tugged on the back of his jacket. "Don't make me use the mesmer, Mud Boy!" The determined look in Artemis's eyes was all she needed. "Fine, fine, where is he?"  
  
Artemis thought for a moment. "He was looking for Juliet. She might be in trouble." Holly ran with him as they made their way back up the stairs and to the bedrooms. Running in his own house. Artemis resisted the urge to shake his head in bewilderment. Why couldn't he be normal?  
  
They spotted the door Butler had kicked in. Oh...yeah...that's why.  
  
"Who's that?" Holly pointed at Shoa Lin, who, from far away, didn't look all that human.  
  
"That's Shoa Lin, our new maid," Artemis answered, frowning.  
  
Holly watched closely as Shoa Lin began to change quickly. "That's no maid!" she yelled as she switched her blaster's power to maximum and fired at the renegade fairy.  
  
Shoa Lin leapt back, switching to her LEP officer disguise as rapidly as she could. Stupid purebreds, they'd never learn. She dodged the blasts easily, grinning as she brought her fist down on the opposing officer's helmet. The thing cracked like an egg under her hit. A horrible pressure connected to one of her ribs, however, and Butler flung her across the room, ready to pump bullets into her fallen body.  
  
And then, she saw him. Artemis Fowl. In this stronger body, she'd have a chance to kill him. She dodged the Sig Sauer's bullets nipping at her heels as she leapt onto the bed where her suitcase was. She broke it open easily, kicking the LEP officer as soon as the whelp came running at her, blaster once again drawn. She faced Butler. "Your shots are up," she growled, throwing the long dagger she had drawn from the suitcase at his chest.  
  
The man had the reflexes of a pixie, she admitted when she watched him attempt to dodge the knife, getting his shoulder pinned to the wall instead. Just then, Artemis Fowl tackled her.  
  
The young boy wrestled with Shoa Lin for a minute, but it was like trying to fight Holly when she was mad. The tiny fairy threw him off of her and approached him, new dagger in hand. Holly struggled to her feet and drew her blaster once more, aiming for Shoa Lin's back.  
  
"You are under arrest," she said. "Don't move or I will blow your spine out of your back."  
  
Shoa Lin turned to face her, eyes blazing with fury as she removed her LEP helmet. "Do it then."  
  
Holly tried to stifle a gasp, keeping her weapon steady. "This is not right." She shook her head, all the while watching Shoa Lin. "There are no other female Recon officers. I'm the first. I'm the only one."  
  
Shoa Lin laughed loudly. "No, child. I was the first. And soon, I will be the only one." And, with that, she disappeared completely.  
  
Artemis sat, watching, wide-eyed. "That's not possible." He straightened and began to brush himself off. "There's no way..."  
  
"Apparently there is," Butler gasped as he wrenched the dagger from his shoulder. Holly healed it easily enough, but it still ached a little. She retrieved her cracked helmet, frowning as she examined the damage. Useless. The commander was going to kill her. Foaly would do worse.  
  
Artemis examined his arms and legs for anything that might last as Butler set Juliet, who had passed out in all the excitement, on the bed. "Well, Captain," he began, turning to Holly. "Shall we?"  
  
Police Plaza  
  
"No, absolutely, under no circumstances, are we doing this!" "It's not in your place to say what Recon will or won't do, Captain. Artemis Fowl is obviously the Doppleganger's next target and it is our duty to make sure she doesn't get to him. I smell something big here." Commander Root grumbled as he fished for another fungus cigar, his face turning red in frustration. He really had a nasty complexion.  
  
Holly eyed Artemis momentarily. "Can't we just keep surveillance on him until the threat passes? I'm sure if the Doppleganger strikes again, we can get her before she gets the Mud Boy."  
  
Artemis rubbed the sleep from his eyes quietly as the two elves argued over his future. Butler shifted uncomfortably beside him, feeling naked without his guns. Foaly was typing furiously, trying to bring up old files.  
  
"From what I saw," Root said, "you were trying just that. And you know what? It didn't work!" His face was turning deeper shades of red by the second. "We are going to follow correct procedure that states that we have to keep Fowl close at all times."  
  
"Sir, what happened at Fowl Manor was a one-time occurrence," Holly answered through clenched teeth. "We were taken by surprise."  
  
Root, instead of answering her, turned to Foaly. "Did you find anything about another female Recon officer?"  
  
"Yes, Julius," Foaly told him. "It's all here in Chimaera's file. It turns out there was another test case, Holly. Her name was Captain Ivory Stone. A cute little pixie, if I do say so myself." He flashed the picture. "She was assigned to the Doppleganger case. One of the first victims. She was dismembered and hung from pieces of the playground. A week later, her son and husband were found." Even Butler, who had once been gored by a troll, had to avert his gaze.  
  
Holly shuddered. "That's terrible. Trolls are one thing--they don't have the mental capacity to understand. This woman simply does it because she can."  
  
"She was fresh out of the academy," Root sighed, examining the ex- captain. "Only eighty-five. Terrible way to go." He handed the picture to Artemis, who did a double check between the print out and Holly.  
  
"She looks just like you," Artemis said. "True, your hair and skin tones are different. She doesn't have the cherubic roundness of the cheeks. But, other than that, you could pass for her." He gave the picture to a startled Holly.  
  
"This isn't real..." Holly mumbled as she stared at the picture.  
  
Foaly gently took the picture back. "There's more. A lot more."  
  
Butler rubbed his temples. "This is hard enough to take in by itself. What else could there be?"  
  
Foaly shrugged and brought up more of the file, which had been deleted just after the Doppleganger's scheduled execution. "She had a family."  
  
"Yeah, we've heard all of this before," Root grumbled impatiently. "Mom and dad were crime lords and she married a dragon. Nothing new."  
  
"No," Foaly told him sternly. "You haven't heard this part, Julius. This is bad."  
  
Holly sighed angrily, settling herself into a chair. "How much worse can it get?" She closed her eyes, wishing she could just sleep.  
  
"She had a daughter," Foaly began. "The first child of an elf and a dragon. Her daughter's name was Kindle Blaze. She could've been a real problem for the LEP during the revolution. Lucky for us, she had a heart of gold. Wouldn't hurt a Mud Man, no matter how annoying." He stopped for a moment when he heard Butler clear his throat. "Anyway, this girl is very humanoid and very curious. She secures a shuttle and hops up onto the surface world, but, instead of blowing things up, meets the Mud Man of her dreams."  
  
"Let me guess," Root said, his fingers leaving dents in his desktop. "They have a little bundle of joy as well. Well, I don't know how this could get any worse."  
  
Artemis sat straight up. "Somehow, I'm guessing this new link could break our chain, am I correct?"  
  
"Right." Foaly brought an all new file. A tanned elf with black hair and red eyes. "Kindle died in childbirth. The father is unknown. He disappeared. This is their daughter. Ember Blaze. Age 16."  
  
Holly groaned in frustration, burying her face in her hands. "So what? She's...16?" The LEP captain made her way to the computer screen. "That's not right. She'd be just a little child down here."  
  
"Down here she would," Foaly replied. "But up in the surface world, she's almost a grown woman."  
  
Butler frowned. "So, we are researching her...why?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Artemis asked, getting up so he could pace effectively. "If we find this girl, we could somehow use her against her grandmother. If we can find this Ember Blaze, we can use her to locate Chimaera Blaze."  
  
"How?" Butler asked bluntly.  
  
Foaly grinned. "Simple. All dragons have a natural radar. They can locate each other. While Chimaera certainly doesn't have any dragon blood, Ember is still related to her, which should keep the connection strong." He went back to typing while Root prepared to rant again.  
  
"Oh, sure," Root raved. "We can expect to simply locate her and drag her in? She could be anywhere on the surface world right now!"  
  
"Calm down, Julius," Foaly coaxed.  
  
"Stop calling me Julius!" Root bellowed.  
  
Holly broke them apart by asking another question. "And, even if we found her, does she even know she's related to the Doppleganger?"  
  
Foaly was quiet for a moment. "You're not going to like this at all."  
  
"What's to like?" Root demanded. "We're once again asking a Mud Man for help! We'll have to go above ground to search for a Mud Girl who probably wouldn't know an elf if it offered her a pot of gold!"  
  
"Actually," Foaly corrected, "she knows a lot of things. How to kill. Murder. Steal. You might even say"--he glanced at Artemis for a minute-- "she's a criminal mastermind."  
  
Root didn't like this at all. "Another one? No doubt ready to exploit us at her first chance. She's just waiting for a chance to expose the People." He reached for a fresh cigar.  
  
"No one we've heard of," Butler spoke up. "If she's as brilliant as you say, Foaly, I'm sure we would have already run into her."  
  
"No," Foaly responded, "you wouldn't. At least, you wouldn't live to talk about it." He looked at Root. "What's the one thing you hate more than working with Mud Men?"  
  
"Working with convicts, no doubt about it..." Root cut himself off as realization dawned on him. He looked up at the screen Foaly had brought up.  
  
The Doragon. Named after the Japanese name for dragons.  
  
Enemy Number One when it came to terrorists and smugglers. Specialized in fireballs and assault.  
  
Root growled as he turned his gaze to Holly. "I want you to get a line on Howler's Peak. I want the Doragon in here. Now." No point in complaining about it--they needed this girl, now matter how dangerous.  
  
Howler's Peak  
  
"Wake up and smell the sulfur."  
  
Ember Blaze rolled over onto her stomach. A fresh roasted goblin carcass lay beside her cot. Her last cell-mate had been blown away by her fiery temper in less than an hour. "What do you want?" she called, her eyes burning with the desire to injure, kill, or otherwise maim the idiot who bothered to disturb her.  
  
The LEP officer stared her down. At least the fools had the sense to wear fireproof suits now. "Commander Root wants to see you. Now."  
  
Ember sat up. Since when did she run her life on the commander's schedule? She slid off of the cot and onto the floor. "Alright, I'm coming. But I want a new cell-mate when I get back." She slid her hands through the bars of her fireproof cell so that the guard could cuff her hands to prevent her from conjuring fireballs. "Talking to a pile of ashes on the floor gets boring after the first few hours."  
  
"There won't be much need for that at the Plaza," the officer told her as he led her to the shuttle that would take her to the Plaza. She smiled wryly--this officer must be new.  
  
"The Plaza," she chuckled. "That's rich. They never take people like me to the Plaza..." She palmed the officer's ID, however, just in case she'd need it. You never could tell with LEP. Stupid as they were, they could be crafty when the need arose.  
  
Police Plaza, Detention Cell 6  
  
Ember rolled her eyes when Root's face hovered barely an inch from hers. "Are you finished?" she asked wearily. "I already told you I don't know where she is. Nothing you could say or do could make me say differently. Now unshackle me, before I get mad." She signaled to her hands, which were bonded to the chair.  
  
Commander Root growled. "I can have you locked away in Howler's Peak for the rest of your days, convict! You'll be shoveling fresh clay from the dwarf mines before I'm finished with you!" His face was turning purple. Ember was much more concerned about his cigar.  
  
"You really shouldn't smoke," she mumbled as she used her inherited heat senses to make the cigar catch fire. She grinned innocently as Root tossed it to the floor, stamping it out with one foot. "It might kill you one day."  
  
Holly glared at her. "Fine, what do you want in exchange for your help?"  
  
"A pony," Ember answered, cocking her head to the side with a smile. "It's too cold in here..." She looked beyond Holly to Artemis and Butler. "Other than that...I want to kill the Doppleganger." Artemis, though he really shouldn't have been surprised, blinked. She wanted Chimaera dead? Her own flesh and blood?  
  
"Ember," Holly said, leaning over the table to look the convict in the eye, "we can't guarantee that you can...burn. Nor will we let you kill the Doppleganger. Police regulation."  
  
Ember's hatred flared up in her eyes until even Butler, who stood on the other side of the room, could almost feel its heat. "Then I have nothing to say to you. We are finished. Take me back to my cell. And, I'd better have a new cell-mate. The other died rather unexpectedly. It seems goblins are not dragon-fire proof."  
  
"We're not finished with you," Root growled while searching to see if he had anymore cigars. "You can't just click your heels together and wish yourself home, Dorothy." He almost chuckled at his Wizard of Oz humor. "You're on my time."  
  
Ember narrowed her eyes. "You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" She glanced from one person to the other, frowning in disgust.  
  
"Actually." Artemis stepped forward. "We seem to be on borrowed time. You have lost all options and choices in this matter. So, either you can tell us where we can find the Doppleganger, or I can make sure you are relocated in a cozy little radioactive prison, in, say, northern Russia."  
  
Ember paled for a moment. "You can't threaten me, purebred."  
  
"On the contrary," Artemis said, pretending to examine his nails, "I can do anything I want. After all, you're the convict." And, with that, he knew he had won.  
  
"Russia has snow," Ember protested. "No place for fire. No place to burn. Radiation would kill me." Nobody seem to care. She frowned again, this time in deep thought. If she got to kill the Doppleganger, she would finally be free at last. She would not die in Russia, or be rotting with goblin corpses in Howler's Peak.  
  
"I have decided," she told the fairies and humans. "You wish for me to locate the Doppleganger and help you track her down. This is to protect a Mud Boy that I should not even care about, and I don't. In return, I wish reserve a single wish, which I will not name at this time. You help me, and I will help you. Are we clear?"  
  
Artemis nodded and waited for the Commander to agree. He did.  
  
It was the beginning of something.  
  
Or the end of everything.  
  
***  
  
That is the end of Chapter 2! Review, human scum, or FEEL MY WRATH!! Bye- Bye ^_^! 


	3. Reality

Disclaimer: *Reporter on TV* Artemis Fowl has been stolen! Why any person would do such a thing is unknown, but the story and all characters have suddenly come up missing. If you have any information about these missing plots and persons, PLEASE do not hesitate to call.  
  
Summary: Same as last chapter...  
  
Warning: Attention all Artemis Fowl fans. This story is violent and, unless you are a sadist or an actual action reader, you are advised to STEER CLEAR of this fic. Ok, lemme break this down for some of you slow people. If you are looking for tears/kisses/hugs/mushy junk, get out of here NOW or DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Excuse me, for a moment, but I must speak. All people who reviewed, I AM SO HAPPY AND I LUV YOU ALL!!!!! *hugs all around for reviewers* For those of you who didn't....Sic 'em, Doragon!  
  
Doragon's C/N: My pleasure...*sets all mean non-reviewers on fire and eats them* Yum, yum, yum...  
  
Secondly, for all of you that tried to flame me...*runs all mean flame people and haters and their reviews through her paper shredder* Bite me...- _-  
  
All right, now that's all cleared up, on to the fic!  
  
***  
  
Chute E1, Haven  
  
Holly fired up the shuttle, fully concentrated on readjusting her headpiece so that she could keep in touch with Foaly and Commander Root.  
  
"Where exactly are we going?" Ember asked with a frown as she approached the cockpit.  
  
Holly didn't even bother to look at the convict. "Behind the yellow line," she growled. "We're going to Tara and then to Fowl Manor, so we can formulate a plan."  
  
She could have sworn the convicted half-dragon was laughing at her!  
  
"You haven't even come up with a plan yet?" Ember asked incredulously. She turned and winked at Artemis, malice mixed with humor stinging in her gaze. "You are gonna die, purebred."  
  
Artemis didn't like the look she gave him. Butler apparently didn't either, he decided, when the seven foot manservant jerked the Doragon up off the ground by her collar.  
  
"I think you'd better learn to watch your mouth," Butler warned. He glared deep into the girl's crimson eyes and suddenly decided he had better put her down. He didn't see fear in those eyes, like he had so many other people who had dared to threaten Artemis. He saw hatred, pure and deep, in those eyes. And it scared him.  
  
"You know," Ember began, brushing herself off when he set her down, "the worst thing about Mud Men purebreds...is that they're so flammable." She held up her hands and they began to glow. She was obviously conjuring fireballs.  
  
Butler had to think fast. He drew his gun, the Sig Sauer, which the LEP had so generously reloaded and returned to him, and aimed at her forehead. Let's see if dragons are bulletproof, he told himself. Artemis, however, was the one who stopped him from shooting.  
  
"Butler, no," Artemis said firmly. Butler was forced to look down at the girl. She had two fireballs pointed at his stomach. Even if he managed to let loose a single shot into her forehead, she could still blow him away twice. It didn't matter which one would shoot--they both would die.  
  
Holly looked over her shoulder, shrugged, and then gunned the throttle, guiding the shuttle into the service tunnel. Maybe she'd have time to make a quick record. She decided to try it.  
  
Butler and Artemis had already strapped themselves into their safety harnesses. Not Ember. She grinned like a loon and watched as the shuttle dipped lower and lower. Holly resisted the urge to scream with pure delight and went lower still. At this rate, she'd break her own record!  
  
Ember made her way back to the cockpit, smiling wickedly. "Going for a new record, are we?" she called over the noise of the rattling ship. When Holly didn't respond, she smirked and raised one of her hands. Could she still do it?  
  
It took a moment for Holly to realize what was happening. The lava was rising! She pulled up sharply, hoping she wouldn't get nipped in the butt by quickly elevating magma. What was going on? She glared at Ember when they were safe, positive she had something to do with it. Ember smiled innocently.  
  
"Yes?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow, daring Holly to say something. She made her way to the back of the shuttle interior, passing a warning glance at Butler.  
  
Holly stared after her in disbelief. Who was this girl that denied the LEP and Mud Men alike? That could create fireballs like goblins, and was a better thief than the notorious Mulch Diggums himself? That could make lava rise? She was truly a Blaze, Holly decided as she flew the shuttle.  
  
They had to get rid of her.  
  
En route to Fowl Manor  
  
Artemis watched Ember carefully as she poked at the windows of the Bentley. He raised one eyebrow curiously; obviously it had been hundreds of years since she'd been on the surface world. Which was impossible, since she was only sixteen.  
  
"They keep the rain and wind from getting in," he explained, before Ember shot him a withering glare. If looks could kill.  
  
"I'm not stupid, purebred," Ember growled furiously. "I understand your weak magic. Your...technology." She said it as if it were some strange disease. She stared out the window at the passing countryside. "My grandfather used to tell me about the surface world. About the serfs and knights. And the dragons that dared to venture beyond the boundaries of early magic." She spoke with a sense of longing.  
  
"Serfs?" Artemis asked, cocking his head slightly to the side in momentary confusion. "Knights? You're talking about the Middle Ages?"  
  
Ember frowned deeply, the scowl almost scarring her pretty features. "Those were real warriors. I wish I could have lived then. They burned you for the littlest things. Burned. No lethal injections. No life imprisonment. No rotting forever due to radiation and snow." She gave a sigh of contentment. "Burned."  
  
Holly tried not to look at her and Artemis sensed her discomfort, but chose not to say anything. He could see her sweating, now that they were driving through Ireland and her visor was off. He wondered if it was too hot in the car with Ember here.  
  
"It's cold in here," Ember sighed, slumping down in her seat, tugging a huge coats around her shoulders uncomfortably. "Don't you feel it? I think I'm going to freeze..." She was getting quieter as she spoke, until her final words were almost non-existent.  
  
Fowl Manor  
  
"Well, EXCUSE ME, your highness, but that's as hot as hot springs get! Take it or leave it!"  
  
Butler and Artemis looked up to see Juliet storming down the hallway and into the study. "I have had just about enough of that fireball-tossing freak!" she screamed. "I tried to be nice to her! All I said was that she would look prettier if she washed all of that ash out of her hair and she burnt a hole in my new shirt!" She thrust the shirt in Butler's face. "Look at this!"  
  
Holly couldn't help but suppress a smile. When she had been prisoner at Fowl Manor four years ago, annoying Juliet had been her favorite activity while trying to escape. Odd how fairies, even the most diverse, loved to indulge in the same hobbies.  
  
Butler eyes widened and then narrowed. He glanced down at Artemis, who sat as his computer, stunned. "Artemis, there has to be another way," he said, choosing his words carefully. "Look at how much trouble she's causing. Besides, she hasn't even tried to locate Chimaera yet. We don't even know if she can."  
  
"Juliet," Holly began, turning to the reluctant teenager, "how hot are your hot springs?"  
  
"FREEZING COLD!" Ember's voice rang throughout the entire manor, as if she'd heard them from the other side of the house. Chances are, she did.  
  
Juliet pouted, scowling towards the hot springs where she'd left Ember. "At least boiling temperature. You can see the water evaporate! There's so much condensation in that room, it could water Death Valley, dammit!" She crossed her arms, glowering at her new shoes. "And that insensitive little brat still says it's FREEZING!"  
  
"It probably is to her," Holly told her, careful not to mention that Ember was a third dragon--even though Juliet knew she was a fairy, you could never be too careful. "Her condition is very special. She finds it hard live in temperatures under ninety degrees Fahrenheit."  
  
"Which explains why she was so afraid to be sent to Russia," Butler nodded when Juliet left to figure out a way to make the hot springs warmer for the annoying convict.  
  
Artemis nodded. "It was so obvious. Fire and ice are enemies to extremes. She was even reluctant to enter the hot springs, since it's water. It's like she's afraid she'll go up in steam." He leaned back in his chair, head cushioned by his folded hands as he pondered. Butler recognized the expression, but Holly still chose to speak aloud.  
  
"Chances are," Holly frowned, "the Doppleganger will strike when we least expect. Either dusk or dawn."  
  
Butler made a move to shush her while Artemis thought up an ingenious plan to save them all. He shuddered remembering the plans he had thought up while trying to rip off the LEP and when trying to rescue his father. Sure, those plans had worked out all right in the end. It was carrying them out that made them so terrifying.  
  
"Military tactics suggest that she will strike at night. Every good hunter knows that," Butler whispered to Holly, making it clear that they should not speak loud enough to disturb Artemis.  
  
Holly nodded in confirmation. "Exactly. You forget, she controls an LEP officer's mind and body. She knows all the rules, and how to break them to favor her. Just like Artemis." She tilted her head in the young man's direction for emphasis.  
  
Police Plaza, Ops Booth  
  
Foaly grumbled. "Donkey work. I can't believe I'm doing this," he growled as he kept rewiring the computer's mainframe. A spark caught him in the wrist. "D'Arvit!" he shrieked, tossing the offending wire to the ground. "Why am I even looking through here? All of the files are there..."  
  
The screen blinked into life in the background and Foaly glanced up, frowning. "What the..."  
  
"Doing research, centaur?" Chimaera Blaze's voice crackled through the computer's communication waves, another invention of Foaly's. "Would you like some help?"  
  
Foaly stood up immediately, glaring at Chimaera's smug expression. "Not your help, lady." His eyes slowly wandered to the bottom-left corner of the screen to the locator, which he had programmed into the communication screen to pinpoint whoever was talking to him. This was mainly patented for hostage situations, but, it would serve just as well in this case.  
  
"Testy, are we?" Chimaera said smugly. Her gaze followed Foaly's and she snorted in contempt. "A locator? Please..." Foaly heard the tapping of keys and the locator disappeared. "There, now...that's better..." She grinned wickedly and Foaly couldn't help but wonder how an elf's teeth got so pointed and evil-looking.  
  
Suppressing a groan at the disappearance of the locator, Foaly stepped back away from the screen slowly. "What brings your smug self here, anyway? I figured you'd be waiting at the Fowl Manor or something. Unfinished business? Or maybe you're turning yourself in?"  
  
Chimaera laughed loudly. "That's so funny! And here I thought all of you centaurs were serious types!" She wiped away an imaginary tear and glared through the screen. "The hell if I'm ever going back the Lower Elements. And I know that you've got my granddaughter on your side. I'm crazy, not stupid. I was just making a little phone call to see how you darling LEP are doing."  
  
Foaly snorted. "My ass. You're probably sabotaging the network." His eyes searched for a way to stall her. He slowly reached over to hit the intercom button so that the rest of the plaza could hear the conversation.  
  
"I wouldn't," Chimaera warned, her statement followed by the usual tapping of keys. "I've just uploaded a virus into your computer, darling." Another wicked grin.  
  
Foaly crossed his arms, unable to hide his smile. "A lot of good that'll do you, Chimaera. Ever since the Koboi incident a few years back, I've upgraded all of my virus protection programs. All I have to do is give it the command, and the system sends the virus right back into your computer. Looks like you're not as smart as you thought."  
  
Instead of the angry response most of his enemies gave when they had messed up, Foaly only heard more laughter. "I think not, horse-man." He heard the clicking of more keys. "It pays to kill centaurs, darling. I'd advise you to watch and learn." The screen blinked quickly until it was bright white. Foaly squinted, unable to make out Chimaera's face anymore.  
  
CRASH IS IMMINENT  
  
Foaly ran to the computer, desperately trying to restart and save his computer before it crashed. The screen froze and he heard sparks erupting in the background. His backup disk and files were gone as well. "Shit!" he growled, banging on the screen, knowing it would do him no good. The lights gave way last, leaving Foaly completely alone in the dark.  
  
"The system will go back up in twenty-four hours, darling." Chimaera's voice still lingered in the room, for some reason. "I suggest you make yourself comfortable. After all, after Artemis Fowl is dead...you can do all the research you want." And, with that, her voice faded into the darkness of the Operations Booth.  
  
Fowl Manor  
  
"Well, have you got a plan yet, purebred?"  
  
Artemis rubbed his eyelids. "You can't rush genius, Ember. Go play with Juliet. Paint your nails, or claws, or whatever." He gritted his teeth. Or whatever? God, he needed sleep.  
  
"It's your future," Ember grumbled as she started out of the room. "However short that future may be."  
  
Holly Short watched her leave the room and glanced at Butler, who nodded. She slid down from the large couch she had been lounging on and followed Ember, careful not to get too close. Ember was emanating serious rage, which, in a dragon's case, meant serious heat.  
  
"What do you want, purebred?" Ember growled, whirling around to face her as soon as they reached the foyer. "I don't think this is the way to the bathroom." She cracked one of her knuckles impatiently as Holly held her ground.  
  
"You can't push everyone around, Blaze," Holly said sternly, crossing her arms. "You do know that you're just going back to Howler's Peak after this. You're not in any position to give orders."  
  
Ember frowned. "I am in any and every position, purebred, to--" Something caught her eye, making her cut off. She snatched a picture frame up from the mantle above the fireplace, taking a second to revel in high flames which the aura of rage around her had coaxed to life. She glared at the picture, in deep concentration.  
  
Holly glared at her. "What's the matter with you?"  
  
"Why aren't the Butlers in this picture?" Ember asked impatiently, handing the frame to Holly.  
  
Holly glanced at it. "The Butlers work for the Fowls. It's doubtful that they'd be in the family picture." She gave it back to Ember, who scanned it again. "They probably have family pictures elsewhere."  
  
"Where do they stay?" Ember demanded, gritted her teeth. She didn't even bother to look at Holly.  
  
Holly cocked an eyebrow. "In the lodge outside, why?"  
  
"I've a hunch," Ember answered, heading for the back door. "Keep Artemis and Butler together at all times. And don't let either one get any sleep. Like Artemis said, we're on borrowed time." It was the first time Holly had heard Ember use Artemis and Butler's correct names, instead of 'purebred.'  
  
Holly tilted her head to the side as she watched Ember leave. "No sleep?" she whispered as she made her way back. She'd better buzz in to HQ and see how they were faring with the deleted files. "Foaly, how are those files coming?" Nothing but static. "Foaly?"  
  
Ember wandered into the lodge quietly. Guns, knives, a few swords. Bedrooms and a bathroom. A kitchen. Recreation center. This wasn't a lodge. It was a fort. "Were are you..." she muttered, opening a closet. Surely a family as extensive as the Butlers would have some type of records. Journals. Photographs. Something. Anything. "Ah," she smiled when she pulled a framed picture from a dusty cardboard box in the back of closet.  
  
"What're you doing in here?"  
  
Ember closed her eyes irritably. If only she could turn invisible, like her grandmother had been able to when she had escaped Fowl Manor two days ago. She slowly turned around. Juliet.  
  
"Get out," Juliet growled, flexing her arms. "Before I throw you out." She looked surprised when Ember simply walked past her and sat on the bed, staring at the picture she'd found.  
  
"Shut up," Ember directed, holding up her hand to shush Juliet before she could protest. Her eyes scanned the picture and she tilted her head to the side momentarily. "How long ago was this taken?" she inquired, flashing the picture in front of Juliet. At Juliet's silence, she commanded, "Speak."  
  
"Fifteen, sixteen years ago," Juliet answered, daring to sit beside Ember, pointing to the people in the photograph. "That's our family. That's me. I was about four. I was so cute." She beamed proudly, pleased at the way she looked when she was a toddler.  
  
"Where's Butler?" Ember asked, again frowning in frustration.  
  
Juliet pointed again. "He had been visiting from training to take part in the wedding." The boy she pointed to looked exactly like Artemis. Ember's expression deepened as she glanced up from the picture.  
  
"Wedding?"  
  
"Yeah," Juliet answered, leaning back on the bed, supported by her arms. "Our mom died when I was young. Big assignment at the signing of a treaty that didn't turn out so well. So Dad remarried."  
  
"I see," Ember said. She didn't offer her condolences--she had more important things to worry about. "Who was the stepmother?"  
  
"She was a very nice woman," Juliet replied, pointed to the picture of a young woman with tanned skin and chestnut-brown hair. "But, now that I think of it, I can't remember her name."  
  
"Was?" Ember asked, glancing back at the picture. "You don't remember her name? Why not? Isn't she here with you now?" Her eyes were blazing with excitement as the mystery unfolded around her. She realized as soon as Juliet took a moment to clear her throat. "She died as well?"  
  
Juliet nodded slowly. "I never really got time to know her. She died young. Something about a blood disease."  
  
"Did she and your father ever have any children together?" Ember questioned, glaring hard at the picture now. It was possible. She considered holding her breath.  
  
"No," Juliet said. Ember hoped she didn't see her sigh. "At least, I don't think so. Technically, I wouldn't know. The person you'd want to ask is probably her mother, if that woman is still alive. Her name was...uh...um...I think it was Christine...or Casey...Chrissy...it was 'C' something. C. Maria!"  
  
"Her mother?" Ember asked, glancing from Juliet to the picture. It was true--in the upper-right corner was a middle-age woman. She was obviously related to Juliet's stepmother. "Her mother...C. Maria..."  
  
Juliet sighed, crossing her arms. "That's all. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. I'm sure you can find your way back to the manor." She left the room to change clothes and get ready for bed. Ember sat for a moment in silence. A sweet stepmother. Disappearing people. Butler and Artemis, looking alike as young men. Something was terribly wrong here, she realized. The reality of the situation dawned on her. She had to get to Artemis. More importantly, she had to find Butler.  
  
But first, a few phone calls had to be made...  
  
"Oh, Juliet..." Ember followed Juliet's path, leaving nothing but a tiny pile of ashes on the hardwood floor at the foot of Juliet's bed.  
  
***  
  
Okay, people, I admit, I have NO idea how old Butler is. But, for this fic to work, we have to take a moment and pretend he's only about thirty. Okay? Thanks for your cooperation. I knew you'd understand! ^_~ You lovely people always do!  
  
Police Officer: Okay, you're under arrest!  
  
Ahhh! For what?!  
  
Police Officer: *cocks gun* For attempting to claim Artemis Fowl as your own, instead of paying homage to the rightful owner! Eoin Colfer!  
  
Ack! I admit it! I stole Artemis! Can you blame me?! *in jail* Anyone wanna post my bail...? Please? The set price is 15 reviews! PLEASE free me so that I might post the next chapter for your entertainment!  
  
~ ChaosHavoc 


	4. Burning Cold Memories

Disclaimer: *glares at cops* Artemis ain't mine...*looks down at her crayon map of Eoin Colfer's house* Let's see...if I go in through the back door and hide in the laundry basket for an hour...  
  
Summary: Artemis, Holly, Butler, and Ember learn about Chimaera's past and Ember's true heritage. Betrayal, bad dreams, and burning cold memories (hence the name of the chapter!). Many plot twists in record time, since I'm trying not to post too many chapters...looks like I might have to, though.  
  
Warning: This is not a romance fic, and, in a moment, I'll tell you why...  
  
Chaos: Ah, now, my lovely viewers! How I missed you! I read all of your reviews and loved each and every one of them! ^_^  
  
Havoc: Yeah, okay, chit, that's enough. Get on with the gore!  
  
Chaos: One moment, Havoc. You're so impatient. *sees confused viewers* Oh, I'm sorry! While I was in jail, I learned that there are a few readers that are a little upset because of my opinion of romance and its fans.  
  
Havoc: Well HELL, they shouldn't be reading this! There's a reason the genre is ACTION/ADVENTURE!  
  
Chaos: Anyway, lovely readers, I decided that this must stop, so, while in prison, I had my ruder, violent...*glances at Havoc*...stupid side removed. The result is him. *points at Havoc* Don't fret, lovely readers, we still write the same. Now, on to the fic!  
  
Havoc: Finally! Jesus, woman!  
  
Chaos: STOP CALLING ME WOMAN! Oh, by the way: For this chapter '~' means dream sequence or memories or, time stuff. Enjoy!  
  
***  
  
Fowl Manor  
  
~  
  
Butler glared at her. "You're not here. Not here."  
  
But she didn't disappear. Not this time.  
  
"Go away."  
  
"Help me, please..."  
  
She reached out to him. Her eyes were filled with such pain. How could he refuse...?  
  
"Don't let her find me..."  
  
~  
  
"Butler? Are you all right?" Artemis asked, looking over his shoulder at his manservant. "Do you need to lie down?" He rubbed the tiredness from his own eyes and turned around to face Butler. It'd been five hours since Ember had left the room angrily, and he was beginning to wonder where she'd gone off to.  
  
"No, Artemis." Butler reassured him. At that moment, Holly burst through the door, panting.  
  
Her face was flushed as she spoke. "We've got problems." She tossed her communicator to Butler. "Operations Booth is down. No word from Commander Root. Something big is happening underground." She motioned to Butler. "The only clue is that transmission. It's from Corporal Lili Frond." Butler picked up the communicator. A sweet, feminine voice crackled over the sound waves. It was almost impossible to determine her pleas for help from the static.  
  
"...Short...Plaza...down...no...shuttles gone...goblins escaped...Howler's Peak...Foaly trapped...blackout...Root says...ground...repeat...hold ground...Frond...out..."  
  
Holly crossed her arms. "Keep listening." They did.  
  
"Give...that...Captain Short? Listen...careful...not shut...transmission off..."  
  
Artemis and Butler listened intently as the static began to fall away like a heavy blanket and the new speaker's voice became clearer. Her face appeared on the communicator screen. Chimaera Blaze.  
  
"Hello, darlings, now, isn't that better?" Her smug expression was almost too much for Artemis. "It's all right, darlings, you may answer. I can see each and every one of you perfectly. I can hear you as well." Her gaze floated over each person in the room. "Captain Short, you didn't really think you could out-think me, did you now? I know you have my granddaughter in there somewhere. Why don't you bring her out and we can have a nice little chat?"  
  
"I don't think she wants to see you right now," Artemis told her before Holly could.  
  
Chimaera's wandering eyes finally fell upon the fifteen year old genius. "What you think, darling, has little to do with reality. Your mind runs on numbers and large words, Mud Boy, but you fail to learn one important thing. I hold all of the cards in this game. There is no stalemate--only death. And I am the judge, jury, and executioner." She glared at Butler. "Ah, yes, the ape. How's your shoulder, caveman?"  
  
"I'd watch who I was talking to, if I were you," Butler growled, cracking his knuckles.  
  
"Watching doesn't seem to be your forte, though, does it, darling?" Chimaera chuckled, her eyes wandering back over Artemis meaningfully. "At least, not when it comes to the things that matter."  
  
"Enough, Chimaera," Holly commanded. "What do you want?" She balled her hands into fists.  
  
Chimaera frowned. "Don't spoil my fun like that, Captain." There was a loud bang, a flash of light, and then Chimaera was looking at the three through the eyes of a Plaza receptionist. Holly couldn't recognize her. "It makes me angry. And when I get angry, I kill people."  
  
"We understand," Holly answered. This wasn't a simple hostage situation. This was an execution. Chimaera hadn't lied.  
  
"No, I don't think you do," Chimaera growled as she transformed back. "I want only Artemis Fowl and my granddaughter. The trade is cliche, I suppose, but simple: give me what I want, and I'll go away." She glanced off into the distance. "You have six hours, no shuttle, and no connection to your headquarters. I suggest you hurry. Don't be late." The screen blacked out.  
  
Holly looked over at Artemis and Butler. Butler was as stunned as she was. Artemis, however, was looking as if he had just disproved infinity. Maybe he had.  
  
"Genius," Artemis smiled. "Pure genius. Unfortunately, she made several mistakes."  
  
"Which are?" Holly asked, sitting on the floor, not exactly sure how she was going to take this new idea of Artemis's.  
  
Artemis smiled a vampire smile and leaned back in his chair. "She requested that both Ember and I come down there. First of all, she didn't say you couldn't come with us. And also, she didn't say we couldn't bring weapons. Second, she obviously doesn't know that Ember hates her."  
  
Butler shook his head. "Or, she could know all of this and it's all part of some bigger plan to kill us all. Maybe she wants a war."  
  
Holly crossed her arms. "Besides, we don't have a mode of transportation. We don't have a shuttle or specialized suits, since the pressure on the way down would kill us without protection. We'd have to be dwarves to even consider getting through the earth's crust and then we'd actually have to find the Lower Elements and get to the Police Plaza. There's no way we can make this time limit." She sighed. "I think it's hopeless this time."  
  
At that moment, Ember chose to walk into the room, smiling. "We may not be dwarves, Captain Short," she coaxed, helping Holly up from the floor, "but we have the next best thing."  
  
"Been a while, huh, Captain?"  
  
~1 Hour Earlier~  
  
"So, do you think you can do it?" Ember asked impatiently. "I'm sure the route to your old cell shouldn't be hard to find. If we're lucky, it hasn't been closed off. Probably hasn't even been located yet."  
  
"I don't know," Mulch Diggums answered. "What's in it for me?"  
  
Ember swallowed for a moment and glared at him. This was harder than she had thought. "I will stop hunting you. You'll be free and I will never attempt to kill you again."  
  
Mulch was taken aback. "Really?" He didn't need to ask twice; when Ember Blaze, the Doragon, made a promise, she kept it. "What else?" he asked hesitantly.  
  
"You got your life," Ember growled. "Don't push it." Mulch's face was enough to tell her that he needed something else. "Any gold you pick up along the way, you can keep."  
  
"That's not what I'm worried about and you know it," Mulch grinned, following her into the foyer of Fowl Manor. "You said goblins were running amok."  
  
Ember groaned. "Fine. I'll protect you from any." Mulch's face seemed to brighten immediately.  
  
"Just like old times, huh?" the dwarf sighed wistfully, walking beside her as they neared the stairs.  
  
Ember looked at him. It seemed that, for a moment, her eyes were blinking away imaginary tears. "Yeah, just like old times." She shoved her hands in the pockets of the jeans she had borrowed from Juliet.  
  
Tara, Mulch's Old Escape Route  
  
"Yeah, but this still doesn't help the fact that the pressure would kill us the deeper down we go," Holly told them as she stared at the hill. It was amazing, the things Mulch was capable of doing once he put his mind to it. All these years, the LEP had never once found this hole in the ground the size of a Mercedes.  
  
Mulch pulled out several pressurized suits. "Every trip has its memories," he explained with a grin. "I remember back in the day when Ember and I used to travel to the surface all the time. Good times. Now, let's go; we've only got four hours to ride our asses off." Artemis glanced from Ember to Mulch until Ember grabbed his shoulder. "Do you have a problem with your head or something, purebred?" she demanded. She let go when Butler's angry glare fell down on her and strode to the entrance where Mulch had prepared the motorcycles. She climbed on as soon as the others had gotten into their suits and helmets, so that they wouldn't be crushed by the pressure underground. She was to bring up the rear, Mulch and Butler on their motorcycles, Artemis riding with Holly, since there wasn't any room on Butler's bike.  
  
"Ember," Holly started. "How do you and Mulch Diggums know each other, exactly?" She glanced at Artemis, who had wedged himself behind her, since he was bigger and didn't know how to ride a motorcycle.  
  
Ember looked up silently at Holly and then glanced at Mulch. "We go way back," she answered, her expression almost one of bemusement. "Farther than you and Artemis." She appeared as in deep thought. "I met him when I was a kid, just learning the tricks of the trade."  
  
~  
  
"Hey, you, get the hell outta my pocket!"  
  
Her had grabbed her hand, twisting it in all sorts of odd angles.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
~  
  
Holly tilted her head to the side as Ember continued, and they began to ride after Mulch and Butler, speaking through the communicators in their helmets.  
  
"He was pretty understanding, and we seemed to work well together," Ember said. "Until one day, I received a vision. Needless to say, Mulch didn't like the idea as much as I thought."  
  
~  
  
"Do you KNOW what lava does to dwarves? It'll kill me! Do you WANT me dead?"  
  
He was hurt.  
  
"That's not my problem, Mulch. Besides, I'm sure you'll find a way to adjust to the surface world. You always do."  
  
She was angry. She had calmly put him down.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean? I thought we were partners!"  
  
It was true, but things change. Everything changes.  
  
"We were. Things have changed. The Lower Elements have grown cold to the touch. It's time to turn up the heat."  
  
She had to be calm. Couldn't lose her cool. Couldn't show any signs of regret, lest he think her weak.  
  
"You're crazier than I thought! You'll kill everybody!"  
  
They were already dead anyway, living beneath the Mud People in this prison of earth and heat.  
  
"Again, that's not my problem..."  
  
He had yelled at her. He never yelled at her. And he never would again.  
  
"You have to be stopped, Ember...I knew this day would come..." She took a step back, away from him, realization dawning.  
  
"What--?"  
  
Nothing else came to mind. How could he? How dare he?  
  
"LEP! Stay wear you are, Doragon! That's right, nice and easy..."  
  
He had betrayed her.  
  
"Mulch! Mulch, what have you done?!"  
  
It had been so obvious.  
  
"Sorry, Ember...but you're not my problem anymore...take her away Julius..."  
  
She'd been so stupid.  
  
"Mulch, I'll KILL you! Mark my words, dwarf, for they will haunt you forever! You will live for eternity until I carve your heart out with your own blade and burn it between my fingertips!"  
  
She was only thirteen.  
  
~  
  
Holly and Ember rode on in silence, but Artemis was busy at work, of course. Ember had been betrayed to the LEP by her mentor. It made him ask how Chimaera herself had been captured. He wondered what Ember's face looked like under her helmet. Twisted in pain? Angry? Depressed? Happy that she had gotten the memory of her betrayal off of her chest after so long.  
  
No. She was alone. The only expression she wore was regret.  
  
Regret that she had not rushed to kill Chimaera when she'd had the chance.  
  
~ Three Hours Earlier ~  
  
"Chimaera," Ember said, squeezing the receiver of the phone as Juliet sat across the room, enchanted under her mesmer. "I know you're there." She knew she wouldn't have to explain how she got her mother's number. That wench always carried a cell phone around. Thank gods for dragon radar.  
  
"Yes, darling," she heard Chimaera giggle. "It's grandma. Are you ready to come home now, darling?"  
  
"Don't call me darling," Ember growled. "Yes, I'm coming for you. I've got you figured out, grandmother."  
  
Chimaera fell silent for a moment. "Stay out of it, Ember. It's bad enough that you signed your freedom over for mine. I will not be able to forgive you if you try to help them hunt me down." "Grandmother, you know you're crazy, don't you?" Ember closed her eyes as her grandmother burst out laughing over the phone. "They aren't the same boy."  
  
"They are so, darling," Chimaera answered angrily. "They are exactly alike! He is simply tricking us. You know how those disgusting purebred bastards are always using their magic against us! Their disgusting technology."  
  
Ember sighed. Her grandmother really believed what she was saying. That Artemis and Butler were the same boy. Simply altered by technology. "The ape is the boy you hate," she told her grandmother. Her plea was again interrupted by her grandmother's laughter. "Goddamn men," snorted Chimaera. "All men are demons. My father was a demon. Your grandfather was a demon. But it's Mud Men who are the biggest, most demonic bastards ever to walk the face of the earth. Your father was a sick bastard."  
  
Ember gritted her teeth. She'd heard this rant before. It was pounded into her brain. How her asshole of a human father had killed her mother by poisoning her with his Mud Man blood. "Why didn't you just kill him, then?"  
  
"I did, darling," Chimaera laughed. "Him and his two children. Now, darling, I want you to go back to the house and forget this entire mess. Tell them I've taken up house in Australia, or something like that. This will all blow over."  
  
"You don't want that," Ember growled. "You sick bitch, why did you kill that LEP officer?"  
  
"Captain Stone?" Chimaera asked. "She had a rare gift I needed. Invisibility is a sweet asset to have on your side. In fact, I've got another young beauty here with me. She has royalty in her blood, I can smell it. I think I'll be giving your purebred friends a call in a minute to chat."  
  
Ember could feel her window of opportunity slamming shut in her face. "One last thing, grandmother." She glanced over at the tiny pile of ashes. "Have you ever heard of the family that lives on the manor grounds?"  
  
"Why, no, I haven't," Chimaera answered innocently. "Should I?" She paused for a moment. "All right, darling, if it worries you so much, I'll be sure to look the Butlers up." There was an audible gasp. She had been caught.  
  
"You're getting clumsy, Grandmother. You're thinking like an amateur, now." Ember smiled to herself. "But, while you're working on the Butlers, find out some stuff about the women who lived with them, would you? Find out more about C. Maria."  
  
Chimaera got very quiet on the other end. "What's in a name, darling? You had better get back to the manor. I've got unfinished business to attend to, soon. You'll want to be there." She ended the conversation with an angry click.  
  
~  
  
Operations Booth  
  
Foaly stumbled about aimlessly, which is fairly easy for a centaur wandering around in the dark. "Damn that woman..." he growled, searching for a light. All of this spare time had given him a while to think. Thinking had brought him to more conclusions than checking and rewiring his computer would have.  
  
"Foaly, darling, are you there?" Chimaera's voice crackled over the air waves. "Oh, what a silly question, of course you're there."  
  
"Chimaera," he snarled, looking around instinctively, though he knew she wasn't in there, and, even if she was, he couldn't see her. "You're not going to get away with this." Now wasn't the time to be worrying about melodrama.  
  
"No, Foaly, you see, that's where you're wrong," Chimaera answered, no longer sounding as amused as she had so many hours ago when she'd locked him in his own Operations booth. "Have you figured it out yet, centaur?"  
  
"Yeah," he replied. "You loved your daughter, Kindle, but knew that her elf and dragon blood was very unstable. That she wouldn't live long enough to fulfill your dreams of bringing death and destruction to the Lower Elements. You knew she was sick. So you never let her out of your sight." He paused momentarily. "So when she stole away to the surface world, you knew you had to go with her. You had to protect her. And, also, to breed her." "Yes," Chimaera told him smugly. "And do you want to know why?"  
  
Foaly could feel a feminist rant coming on. He braced himself. What he got was anything but.  
  
"Because I wanted to do what was expected of me," Chimaera answered. "It is true that my parents wanted a boy to carry on their legacy, and that they were disappointed that I had no physical strength. But I refused to let them down. My husband requested of me that I bear him a son to be the heir to his pathetic crime realm. Kindle disappointed me. She was nothing like us. I knew she was weak, and I could kill myself for loving her. But that's life, yes?"  
  
Foaly had to keep her talking. He could hear the groans of dying LEP officers in the background. He had to find a way to distract her long enough for someone to think up a plan. "So you bred Ember. The perfect killing machine. Your daughter's powers, her father's size and strength, and your ambition. But she didn't turn out the way you planned, either, did she?"  
  
"Alas, they never do," Chimaera admitted, smiling as another scream of pain rang out in the distance. "But, again, that's life. She'll come around. Or I will simply kill her. Goodbye, Foaly."  
  
"Wait!" Foaly urged. "I know now why you bred Ember. But who was her father?"  
  
Chimaera's chuckle rang sweetly through the air. "I thought you would have figured it out already, centaur. I needed the best. Unfortunately, I am the most brilliant criminal mastermind ever born. I could not have her be all brains and beauty and no brawn. I needed a strong one for this. A man who had always been strong. Whose strength had run in the family. The choice was obvious. Ciao, darling." She ended the conversation.  
  
Foaly again sank to the floor. She was right. It had been obvious. Ember Blaze had been a third dragon, a third elf, and a third human.  
  
Now, she was a third dragon, a third elf, and a third Butler.  
  
He didn't know which was more dangerous.  
  
En Route to Police Plaza  
  
"Do you love her?" Ember demanded, tapping a private line into Butler's communicator. "Your sister, I mean."  
  
Butler was so surprised, he nearly fell off of his bike. "Of course. Mud People, even purebreds, tend to love family members."  
  
Ember considered this, wondering whether or not she should be insulted. She decided to let it slide. After all, it would take more than love to win this battle against Chimaera. It would take good, old-fashioned hate. And she had plenty of that to spare.  
  
***  
  
Chaos: Love? Hate? Kill us? Review, please, kind readers. ^_^  
  
Havoc: Feh, I don't need their reviews...........*looks at reviewers and whispers* Please review!  
  
Chaos: I HEARD THAT!!!!!  
  
Havoc: WHAT?!  
  
Chaos: *remembers* Oh YEAH! *Looks out into the audience for the person* THERE you are!!! ^_^ I remember your request for Kung Fu from the 3rd Chapter! HI!!! *waves*  
  
Havoc: *growls* Be patient, dammit!! *curls claws into a fist* The good stuff's coming, stop whining!!  
  
Chaos: *decks him upside his head* Shaddup! *turns back to inquisitive reviewer* Tune in to the next few chapters; there will be a lot of Kung Fu in the showdown! ^___^ Later days, lovely readers!!! *skips out*  
  
Havoc: *rubs skull, following Chaos* Stupid woman....*grumbles* 


	5. Breaking And Entering 101

Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl or any of his associates, so, if you want to sue, all you'll get is...*searches through pockets, frowning*...a moldy Philadelphia Cheesecake wrapper...ten cents in some Korean or German looking money...uh...my English homework from two years ago...*looks under her bed, seeing Artemis Fowl Cast tied up under there*...O.o'...er...and that's about it! ^_^...heh...heh...*holds up pet ferret Svaroki* You can have him, if you want...eh heh...  
  
Summary: In this chapter, our heroes realize that they actually have to get INTO the Police Plaza in order to find Chimaera Blaze. This is hard, so they gotta break out the Kung Fu, just like I promised! But, while we're here, how about a few memories and plot development, eh? Who IS Ivory Stone, and why does she look like Holly? Why does Chimaera hate Butler/Artemis so much? Hmm....plus, we'll be getting a small dosage of that good old-fashioned Artemis and Holly verbal smack-down goodness we all love!  
  
Warning: Darling, romance is great, but, I...find much more satisfaction in watching it fry. If flaming me you try to do...watch your ass, I'll burn you too...  
  
Randomness:  
  
Well, I'm back to just being CH...I just couldn't take being all happy and nice and...blech...anyways...*holds up ferret, Svaroki* This is my ferret. He is also my most evil, nasty, rude thoughts trapped inside a furry bag of fluff. *wiggles him back and forth* Isn't he cute? And what's more, he doesn't talk! Yay!  
  
Svaroki: GET THE HELL OFF ME WOMAN!  
  
EEEK!! You DO talk! I want my money back!  
  
Svaroki: Damn right, chick! You thought you got rid of me, but I'm back! Ha ha! Hahaha! Hahaha haha! Hahaha haha! Muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah *choke, deep breath*  
  
So...I'm stuck with you? *cocks eyebrow* Um...okay, then you won't mind me calling you....FLUFFLE-UPAGUS!!!!!  
  
Svaroki: *gasp* NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  
  
Then SHADDUP, Oki-sama...*glances back to reviewers* On to the FIC!  
  
***  
  
En Route to Police Plaza  
  
Artemis's stomach rumbled. He suppressed the urge to hold his stomach. "I'm hungry," he said aloud, without even thinking. He could almost see Holly roll her eyes as she urged to the motorcycle they shared to speed up.  
  
"Stop whining," Holly grumbled, suspiciously eyeing Ember, who was riding at her side. "I'm sure there are people all over and under the world that are hungry."  
  
Artemis sighed, trying desperately to think up a plan to save them all from Chimaera. But it was hard to do without any sleep--and on an empty stomach besides. "Yeah, well," he answered sleepily, "I don't care about them, right now." His impatient teenager side was beginning to show through his cool exterior in his tired state.  
  
"You don't care about much of anything from what I've seen in the past," Holly snarled, daring to glance over her shoulder at him. "In fact," she continued, "I doubt you care about anything at all." For some reason, she had to get this off of her chest.  
  
Artemis was too shocked by this sudden outburst to deny it. "Well, that's simply your opinion, Captain Short. I assure you, I care about many things other than myself. Surely you remember our rescue of my father a few years-- "  
  
"YOUR father," Holly argued. "You would never have cared if he were anyone else's. The whole scenario with Koboi. The Cudgeon incident. MY abduction! From what I've seen, Fowl, every single one of your escapades have been to further yourself and your bank account."  
  
Artemis tried to be silent at this, but couldn't help but make one final, biting remark against the elf captain. "Really? It seems the only one complaining about selfishness and the bringing up of past grudges is YOU, Captain. All I said was that I was hungry. No need to start any wars. But, while we're on the subject, let's talk about YOU. I noticed your added emphasis on your...past experience with me." He paused, perhaps for effect. "It seems to me that the only one worrying about my past is you. Perhaps YOU are the only one who is being...dare I say it...selfish."  
  
Holly was silent, but, instead of urging the argument as Artemis had, she simply switched off her helmet's communicator. Let the Mud-Boy be hungry, she silently fumed.  
  
Mulch and Butler rode ahead. Time was running out, Butler decided. They'd have to hurry. "Are we almost there?" he asked Mulch.  
  
Mulch kept his gaze straight ahead. "About twenty more miles to go," he decided. "It shouldn't take us more than fifteen minutes to get there."  
  
Butler quietly wondered how the dwarf had thought up a way to get from the center of the earth up to the surface in less than six hours, but let it slide. This WAS Mulch Diggums they were talking about. Surely he had devised some plan while in jail to get up to the surface in half the time it took the LEP, giving him a sure head start.  
  
"Butler," he heard the voice crackle in his ear. "Tell me about your stepmother. What was her name?" It was Ember, the convict.  
  
Butler took a moment to register the strange request. "I can't remember much about her, actually. You should ask Juliet; she knew her better." He heard Ember sigh in frustration.  
  
"Try to remember," Ember urged him calmly. "Try."  
  
Butler switched off his communicator, frowning to himself.  
  
~  
  
"Don't let her find me..."  
  
He backed away slowly, stumbled over a chair. "Go away...you're not real..."  
  
"Don't let her kill me...please...please..." She reached out to him again. "Don't let her find me..."  
  
He tried her hand then. "Who? Who's trying to kill you?"  
  
The door swung open. There she stood.  
  
"It seems I found you after all, darling..."  
  
~  
  
Butler nearly crashed his bike into the earth walls. He glanced over his shoulder at Ember, who seemed focused intently on riding until she died. Maybe that was all she really wanted. To die.  
  
I was there, he realized, looking ahead, seeing the lights of the Police Plaza and the flames from escaped goblins illuminating his surroundings gradually. Like a beacon for death, he mused grimly. Like the candlelight.  
  
There had been candlelight.  
  
~  
  
"Now, go fetch a candle for your stepmother...the blown-out power must have her worried. You know how terrified she is of the dark..."  
  
He had gone, because it had been his father's request. Why couldn't C. Maria have retrieved it? It was her job. She was the maid, after all.  
  
~  
  
Artemis frowned. Butler must have turned his headset off as well. Why was the whole world suddenly against him? "I need fairy-proof shields," he muttered as he tried to glare a hole into Captain Short's back. He almost grinned at the thought of an over-sized bug-killer zapping little elves and sprites from miles away.  
  
"I heard that," Holly grumbled into the headset. Artemis was so surprised for a minute that he nearly fell off of the bike right then. He couldn't have said that out loud, could he? And even so, did that she had switched her headset back on?  
  
Holly replied for him. "It probably does." Artemis sighed loudly and she continued. "Get some sleep you human idiot. You can't even think straight."  
  
Artemis silently agreed, laying his cheek against her back, against his better judgement. The thought seemed to have a double meaning, but he was much too tired to look for it at the time. His eyes closed, his breathing steadied, and he slept as the group neared the Police Plaza on the fairy- made motorcycles.  
  
~  
  
"Don't let her find me...please...please...don't let her see me...tell her I've died...the baby and I have both...died...I don't know..."  
  
She had cried, of course. They always cry. But he didn't know if it was out of desperation for her child or for herself...or maybe even for him.  
  
"How? Who's looking for you?"  
  
"Darling, are you all right in there? I'm coming in."  
  
He knew it was her. It was C. Maria. He slid under the bed and closed his eyes. What was going on here?  
  
"It seems I've found you after all, darling. Now, come to Mummy."  
  
He had forced himself to watch C. Maria stride across the room. Grab her daughter by the hair. Force her out of bed. He only shut his eyes when the girl fell to the floor in a sickening heap and C. Maria snatched the newborn baby from the bed.  
  
"Ah, she's so beautiful. She won't be weak. She will rise above her mother...her father..." She glared down at the younger woman struggling to get up from the floor. "Her...grandfather..." She hugged the child to her chest, smiling. "I shall name her Ember. She is so beautiful. Like the daughter I never had." "Mother," the younger woman pleaded, "don't take my daughter away from me. They will stop you."  
  
They? They who? He shifted so that he could hear better, careful not to make any sound. He struggled to recall all of his years of basic training.  
  
"You won't live long enough to fully atone for what you've done. I should have seen earlier...now, all I can look forward to is your torment in Hell...burn well, Mother; I hope they leave a light burning for you."  
  
C. Maria smiled cruelly and he recognized it. It was the smile of a woman who knew she was in control. Setting the baby down carefully, she embraced her daughter, slowly squeezing the life from her. Her didn't hear any strangled gasps, any groans that had indicated actual pain. It seemed as if she'd already been dying--C. Mari simply sped up the process.  
  
The older woman laid her daughter on the bed next to her granddaughter. She slowly knelt down to the floor and...  
  
Nothing...  
  
~  
  
Butler shook his head, trying to recall the memory. Nothing. Nothing happened after that.  
  
C. Maria had caught him. She'd let him live. And now, she was back to kill him.  
  
Why?  
  
Police Plaza, Lower Elements  
  
Chimaera growled as she crushed the goblin's head. That boy. She should have killed him so long ago. He hadn't been a threat then. But now...now...he was the only one who could tell Ember the truth. But only if he could break her powerful mesmer.  
  
She pouted momentarily. She had messed up then. She could not afford to now. Artemis Fowl would die. His ape would meet an early, but well- deserved, demise as well, but only if necessary. Her granddaughter was so easily confused. So easily persuaded. Perhaps it was time for another breeding.  
  
"Woman."  
  
So many years ago, Chimaera would have flinched at the thought of being called such a thing. But not now. When she was so close to her goal, she could swallow her pride for the moment. "What do you want, lackey?" she mused, glaring at a blank communication screen.  
  
The goblin stepped forward. Had he the guts to approach the woman? "LEP bikes are coming. We think they're coming here."  
  
"Of course they're coming here, stupid," she growled. "They're LEP. This IS the LEP headquarters." She made a steeple with her fingers, pondering. "It's Captain Short and my granddaughter. They are with the humans. They are more resourceful than I thought. I never believed they would make the time limit." She glanced over her shoulder as she twirled momentarily in Commander Root's swivel chair. He wouldn't be using it for a while anyway. "If they get near, kill them."  
  
"All of them?" the goblin asked, already becoming excited. If it was one thing goblins loved to do, they loved to fight for absolutely no reason at all.  
  
She considered. She could handle Artemis Fowl, but it'd be better if she went straight for Ember, instead. Better to get her granddaughter on her side first, in case this entire scheme went up in smoke somehow. Ember would find her on her own. No need to pave a pathway for her.  
  
"All of them."  
  
Lower Elements, Outskirts  
  
Ember looked about, gritting her teeth, before slamming a loose fist smartly against Mulch's skull. "You IDIOT. You said this led to your cell. Your cell INSIDE of LEP Headquarters." She watched as Mulch clutched his head in pain, trying to think up one excuse after another.  
  
Holly climbed off of the bike and grinned as Artemis fell to the ground, instantly jumping to his feet to dust himself off. She looked forward to Butler, who was leaning against his bike thoughtfully, not as out-of-place down here as Artemis was, even though he was wearing a designer suit.  
  
"Ape-man," Ember began, letting her bike fall to the side, watching solemnly as dust gathered around it. She looked up at the manservant and smiled in a way that was almost mischievous. "Are you spotting what I am spotting?" She pointed downhill to the LEP HQ. Goblins were everywhere.  
  
Mulch's face fell instantly. "I guess I'll be leaving..." he winced, backing away from the edge. Ember's hand shot out and grabbed his shirt collar.  
  
"You'll not be deserting me again," she smirked. "Come on, you little moron." She tossed his down the hill and started down after him. Butler followed shortly after.  
  
Artemis glanced to Holly. "I believe I have a plan that will get us out of here more or less alive." She glared at him for a moment, then thought of her comrades inside HQ. "It's not like you can leave me here or anything. Remember what happened last time?"  
  
Boy, did she ever.  
  
"Fine," she sighed, tossing him a blaster. "I hope you remember how to use it."  
  
***  
  
Dammit, no kung-fu. All of that time wasted and no freaking kung-fu. O.o Forgive me, I am but a poor Authoress, I swear I'll make it better! *begs*  
  
Now, wasn't that a rather nice chapter with clean wholesome fun?  
  
Oh, yeah, as if I REALLY meant to make this into a slight-Mary-Sue. Even if it is a little, it won't change the outcome.  
  
I had to mention that the bikes were fairy products. It made it seem more...I dunno...like they'd actually GET to the center of the Earth in under four hours on normal bikes, C'MON PEOPLE! WORK WITH ME. *takes out pencil and sticky pad* Note to self...work on little details in later stories....  
  
By the way, all flames will be used to heat my hot tub. So Nyah!  
  
There, now that's all said and done...^_~ *rubs hands together* Please review....*gets handed another cue card* Please....read....Nameless....Moonshine's.....fics......on......Inu.....Yash a..... *flips it over on back* And...bring...your...OWN....pop....corn....*nods*  
  
NamelessMoonshine: *jumps up in crowd, waving wildly* HI ONEE-CHAN!!!  
  
*looks up*....*waves back feebly*....I wonder if she even knows what that means....*takes out Japanese dictionary, walking away with a sign that says PLEASE REVIEW on back* 


End file.
